Sheikh's Bed (Complete)

Chapter 4

Karen straightened as a cool breeze shifted the fabric of the robe against her skin. Her face was downcast, shielding her eyes so he couldn't see her expression.

Lifting his hand, he pressed the back of his palm against her cheek. His touch was feather-light, but the warmth of her skin radiated against his.

She wouldn't look at him, her chest rising and falling with each breath she took.

"How old are you now?"

After a moment, her lips parted. "Twenty-five."

"Twenty-five," he repeated. He turned his head, on the verge of distancing himself from her, when her gaze caught his.

Tamir saw something in her eyes that drew him closer, causing him to lean down toward her. There was a warning tugging at his self-conscious not to start this, but desire pressed him forward to close the space between them. Originally, he sought out her mouth, but redirected, instead grazing the hollow of her cheek with his lips.

On the first touch, he felt her lip tremor against the corner of his mouth. He reached behind her to the small of her back and pulled her to him.

The silk robe provided almost no barrier to the span of skin beneath it, and Tamir held himself back from the sudden desire to lower his hand over her curves.

Still, they hadn't kissed. Now his mouth hovered over hers, teasing the corners with his breath before his nose skimmed the bridge of hers. A heat that had nothing to do with the desert grew inside him. Teeth clenched, Tamir knew he had to pull away.

He turned from her as a breeze flapped the folds of her robe; he refused to meet her quizzical stare. The warmth of her mouth and body evaporated with the distance he put between them.

"It will be nightfall soon." He stared out into the horizon, imagining them being seen from the sky as minuscule specs among hundreds of dunes. "We should head back to the camp," he muttered, licking lips that were completely dry.

Karen folded delicate arms across her chest. "Then what?"

He took several steps away from her.

Several moments passed before she spoke. "You didn't answer my question."

"So you are asking it again," Tamir stated lowly as he stopped.

He faced her. "Tomorrow morning, I will bring you to the airport, and you will return to the United States."

Karen grimaced, and her full mouth flattened. "To the airport? I need to go back to my hotel."

"I will send someone to fetch your belongings and inform your colleagues that you are leaving the country."

Her chest heaved as her eyes widened, and he calmly turned toward the horse. "Come."

***

Karen ripped open the tent flap and stormed inside when they arrived back at the camp, her bare feet tracking sand across the rugs. Tamir's nostrils flared in annoyance as he followed her inside.

"You are upset about going home?"

She whirled around to him. "No! I'm upset about being sent home!"

Tamir kept his expression neutral. Despite himself, he was affected by the frustrated bitterness that flashed in her eyes before she turned away from him again.

"I am not doing this to punish you. I just want you to be safe, and it isn't safe for you here."

"You could have let me return with-... when you let everyone else go."